Nottingham Forest inform Manchester City of Morgan Gibbs-White price tag | OneFootball

Manchester City have been told how much they would need to pay in order to secure Morgan Gibbs-White from Nottingham Forest this summer, according to reports.

Etihad Stadium supporters were informed at the end of last week that the ongoing campaign would be the final season in which Kevin De Bruyne would wear the Manchester City shirt after a decade at the club.

With the 2024/25 season being De Bruyne’s last contracted year at Manchester City, decision makers working on the future of Pep Guardiola’s squad have ultimately decided not to hand the 33-year-old an extension to his existing terms.

As such, De Bruyne will be free to join a new club in the summer with MLS’ Inter Miami an early favourite for his signature and form a link-up with Barcelona and Argentina legend, Lionel Messi in the United States.

For Manchester City, that leaves the club with the mammoth task of seeking an able replacement for the attacking midfielder, who has been so integral to every piece of success achieved under Pep Guardiola, and since his arrival in the summer of 2015.

In light of the Belgian’s announcement which went viral across social media, a number of names have been mooted as possible replacements for the playmaker, including Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White.

However, there will certainly be no bargain deal available to Manchester City for the England international, should the club decide that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers man is a player suitable to Pep Guardiola’s squad from next season.

That is following the emergence of information from talkSPORT’s Alex Crook, who reveals that Nottingham Forest have placed an eye-watering £100 million price tag on the reported Manchester City target and potential Kevin De Bruyne replacement.

Should Manchester City surprisingly decide to match the asking price now issued by Nottingham Forest bosses to potential suitors for Gibbs-White, then they would be equalling their all-time transfer record for an incoming player.

That was set during the summer transfer window of 2021, when Jack Grealish made the switch from Aston Villa to the Etihad Stadium for a £100 million fee – understood to be a release clause in his Villa Park contract at the time.

For now, it remains to be seen just how motivated Gibbs-White would be by the idea of joining Pep Guardiola’s squad this summer, and how much of a factor the midfielder’s personal connection with one player in the City squad could be in his thinking.

In an interview in March 2023, the 25-year-old Stafford-born playmaker revealed, “I’m godparent to his (Phil Foden’s) kids. They’ve got two beautiful, funny kids. We just had a good connection.

“I met him at 16, we just got on. Our girlfriends are close. We roomed together quite a bit. He’s always been a nice kid. Unbelievable player.”

He continued, “He’d play Fortnite until one or two o’clock in the morning every night! Every night. I’d say that if he scored tomorrow then he could stay on it for another couple of hours.”